Varsities should not ask for SC students’ fee till release of scholarship: Colleges

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, November 14

A joint meeting of delegations of Punjab Unaided Colleges Association (PUCA) and Punjab Unaided Technical Institutions Association (PUTIA) was held today wherein both associations requested all government affiliated universities and boards in the state not to charge any kind of fees for SC students from unaided colleges till the government releases the pending amount of the Post-Matric Scholarship (PMS).

These include IKG-PTU, Jalandhar; MRS-PTU, Bathinda; Punjabi University, Patiala; Punjab State Board for Technical Education and Industrial Training.

Dr Anshu Kataria, president, PUCA, said over Rs 1,600 crore for the past three years of SC students was pending towards the government. The Centre had released Rs 323 crore to the state government against the total due amount which had also not been disbursed among the colleges. Around Rs 325 crore was due for 2015-16; Rs 715 crore for 2016-17; over Rs 600 crore for 2017-18 and now, over Rs 500 crore was due for 2018-19.

Dr JS Dhaliwal, president, PUTIA, said the affiliating universities charge affiliation fees, registration fees, examination fees or other student-related funds (SRF) from the colleges but the colleges were facing a huge financial crisis due to which they were not able to pay such charges to the affiliated universities when neither the government nor the students have given fees to the colleges.

Manjeet Singh, vice-president, PUTIA, said: “On the one hand, over 3 lakh students have not been reimbursed the Post-Matric Scholarship fee, on the other affiliating universities were asking fees from the colleges. How can a college pay to the university/board from its own pocket when neither the student nor the Punjab Government has paid fees to the college?"